


Inverse Tinted

by slotumn



Series: Wherever the Wind May Take Us [4]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Compare and Contrast, Cynicism, F/M, Gen, Idealism, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), no beta we die like Glenn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:55:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23693488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slotumn/pseuds/slotumn
Summary: She felt, with every inch of her being, that the world was unfair before she even had the words to describe it.He was, at heart, an idealist.A.K.A. On being jaded and rosy.
Relationships: Lysithea von Ordelia/Claude von Riegan
Series: Wherever the Wind May Take Us [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1593274
Comments: 8
Kudos: 12
Collections: Slotumn Portfolio





	Inverse Tinted

She felt, with every inch of her being, that the world was unfair before she even had the words to describe it. 

Back when she was still naïve and confused, she tried her hardest to justify why things were this way, or aimlessly hoped that maybe, it would get better if time passed, that everything would be corrected by the time she was a "grown-up."

Her first great realization in life was that the above wasn't how things worked.

She very briefly spent her days being enraged over it, cursing the existence that dealt pain to so many people over for no reason other than being powerless in the wrong place at the wrong time, but it didn't last long. Anger was a strain on her already fragile stamina, and not only did it tire her out unnecessarily, it didn't change anything. 

Or rather, couldn't, with the restriction that had been placed on her lifespan. 

So her second great realization was that she wouldn't be able to change the world.

Once again, that fact caused her great anguish for a while, but eventually, it was halted for the same reason as before. 

And in between many more realizations like that, big and small, she grew up a little faster than other kids and learned to place her priorities onto other things-- things she could affect, things under her control, things that benefitted the people she loved.

Things that still mattered, even through jaded lenses. 

\---

He was, at heart, an idealist. 

Reality was cruel and unfair, but that was all the more reason to dare imagine a future where it would be less so.

His dreams and schemes were both his weapon and shield against the world, so he made them massive-- believing that even if they fell apart, the pieces would still amount to something. 

When it got too dark for anyone to see his face, he sometimes let himself doubt what he held dear. Wonder if he could accomplish it in a land where nobody trusted him and he trusted nobody. 

Every so often, he found the young boy inside himself who just wanted to be loved, and promised him everything was going to be alright. 

That was a lie, because things weren't alright and the scars he had weren't getting reversed, but it was adults' jobs to be shrewd and tell little white lies so that kids could stay innocent and dream. 

Then after remembering exactly how tiring wallowing in loneliness was, he would go back to drawing the map from the real to the ideal, knowing that if everything went as planned, they'd end up about halfway in between.

When the dawn of a new world came, the sky would be rosy even without tinted lenses. 

\---

"Claude."

"Yes?"

"Do you really think something good will come out of this war?"

"We'll have to see it through the end to see if it will."

"...Do you believe it will?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"I have to, or else I wouldn't be able to lead a faction in a war."

"And if we lose?"

"I do everything I can to minimize the damage, and then...I continue with my plans."

"You always talk about having plans, but you never tell anyone what it is, exactly."

"What's the point of scheming if I let everyone in on it? Although, if it's..."

"Hm?"

"...Nothing. Just-- I know that things look bleak, but no matter what happens, I'll make sure that your family stays safe."

"Thank you. I'll do everything I can to help us win this war, too. For you, if nothing else."

"For-- me?"

"Yep. Take it however you want."

**Author's Note:**

> [LysiClaude week twitter](https://twitter.com/LysiClaudeWeek?s=20)
> 
> [My twitter](https://twitter.com/slotumn?s=09)
> 
> So my interpretation for these two is that in reaction to the world being unfair, Lysithea went through adulthood disillusionment years before she became an adult, while Claude clung to his dreams/ideals even harder as a way to get himself through it, which makes them interesting foils, I think, because on the surface one might expect the cynicism/idealism thing to be the opposite. Also ~eye color metaphors~
> 
> TL;DR doomer Lysithea bloomer Claude


End file.
